Shelter
by blahicantthinkofaname
Summary: [hiatus a little bit. oops] When Emma Anderson moves to Rosewood, what will she find? Will she get caught up in the liars game? Or will she catch the eye of some Rosewood boys? Will she be able to find shelter in this crazy hail storm of mystery? Jason Dilaurentis/OC/Noel Kahn Rated T for now.
1. Chapter One

**First Day Jitters**

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><p>My bare feet padded on the wooden stairs as I scurried down them, cell phone alight in hand so I didn't trip. The only light on downstairs was coming from the kitchen, where I presumed my dad was sitting. Like he always did, sitting in the kitchen with a can of beer and the comic section from that morning's paper. Every night, he would sit there drinking his stale beer, reading and rereading the antics of the Family Circus and Garfield the cat. It was strange and drove my step-mother, Karen, absolutely insane, but it helped him sleep.<p>

"Hey dad." I mumbled, going straight to the fridge to grab a cold drink.

"Hey sweat pea." He replied, taking a long sip from his can. I smiled at the name, knowing my dad couldn't see it as it stretched across my face. Everyone thinks I hate it when he calls me that, but in reality, I love it. "Why aren't you in bed?" he questioned.

"Same reason you aren't." I said. "Can't sleep." My dad laughed and held his can up to me.

"Want a sip?" He joked. "I won't tell Karen if you don't." I laughed and shook my head, taking out the fresh carton of milk that Karen had just bought for the new house.

"No thanks dad, I think I'll stick to milk." I took a few chugs from the carton and placed it back in the fridge, as if nothing had happened.

"You know how much Karen hates it when you do that." My dad scolded, giving me a stern look over his spectacles. I sighed and shrugged, giving him a big cheesy smile.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." I said as I sat across from him. Everything was starting to make me undeniably nervous. Everything as in starting a new school, unpacking, getting a job, making friends, _talking to people_. It all just sounded like a big trap to make me have a mental breakdown before I as due for one during my mid-life crisis. I guess my growing anxiety showed on my face.

"Whats's wrong sweet pea?" Dad asked me, setting his beer down on the table and looking me in the eye. I let a sigh escape my lips, letting my posture fall against my chair.

"Nerves." I replied. "I am _not_ looking forward to school tomorrow." He laughed and went back to his paper.

"You'll do fine. You've always been good at making friends." He assured, the same thing he says every time we start somewhere fresh. Although he didn't know exactly how wrong he was. Sure, I had friends everywhere we lived. I wasn't a shut-in . But I wasn't a social butterfly either. I am naturally shy, I hate talking to people I don't know and I hate putting myself on the line. "Wipe that look off your face." Dad said suddenly, giving me the stink eye over his paper. I sighed.

"I just don't know about this school, dad." My voice was quiet and chuck-full of nerves, just like me. "Everyone here probably made their clicks when they were in kindergarten and don't make room for the new girl. They probably never even get new girls." For the first time since I came in, he laid his paper down in front of him, folding his hands in front of him and looking me right in the eyes.

"You will fit in fine, I promise you. You are smart, funny, caring, you can make anyone's day with just your smile. Especially your old man here." I blushed with pride as he finished, giving me a warm smile and a nod of finality. "And you look just like your mother so no doubt you'll have to beat off the boys with a stick." He chuckled, almost looking scared as he faded off to a small cough. "Or I'll do that for you, no difference to me." I laughed, still swelling with elation at the fact that he said I look like mom. "Now go on to bed, you need the rest." I nodded, standing from the table to retreat back to my room as dad picked the paper back up from the table top. But, before I could leave, I bent down to give my dad a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks dad, see you at dinner tomorrow." He barely nodded his head as a response, keeping his eyes trained on the comics.

I hurried back up the stairs to my bedroom. The walls were a boring white, along with the dull blue carpet. The only things in the room that showed that I live in it are the five boxes on the floor, the dresser under the window, and the bed in the corner. The bare walls and empty closet were not a comfort to me as I slipped under the covers to go to sleep. Soon, the room and the nerves died down to a dull hum, letting me fall under sleep's spell.

"Emma! Get up!" I rolled over, pulling my covers up over my head. But, it was in vain as I rolled completely off the bed with a thud. "That better be you getting out of bed!" I did not suppress my groan as I stood from the floor.

"I'm up!" The yell was not as loud as I intended it to be, but I didn't pay any mind. "Thank you!" I said, my words dripping with sarcasm. My feet carried me to the pile of boxes at the end of my bed.

"You have an hour until you need to take Ave to daycare!" My step-mom yelled through my door. Her footfalls got quieter as she continued down the hall. I rolled my eyes as I pulled out an outfit and stumbled to my en suite bathroom. The house we lived in in New Jersey was a ranch style house with one bathroom and two bedrooms and no basement. This house, had four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a basement _and _an attic.

_I could get used to this._

I quickly washed up and got dressed in a flowing gray tank top and flirty navy blue skirt, doing my hair and make-up after I was all finished. My hair wasn't particularly unruly, so a quick brush through and a few swipes of the straightener, I was done. And I hadn't broken out in weeks, so I only used minimal make-up to make my emerald eyes pop. When I was finished, I ran down the stairs to find Avery sitting on the couch watching cartoons, with her back-pack sitting beside her.

"Ave, let's go." I said to her, turning the TV off. Her face dropped to a dramatic gape.

"I was watching that!" Her face changed to a pout, her bottom lip sticking out. I smiled at her as I threw my back-pack over my shoulder, picking up hers also.

"You stick that lip out too far a bird'll poop on it." I told her matter-a-factly. "Now let's go, I can't be late for school." She stood from the couch, her arms folded across her chest.

"I wish I could go to high school." I laughed as I locked the door behind us and unlocked the car with the automatic remote.

"Trust me Aves, once you get there, you'll wanna be back in Daycare." I said as I helped her buckle herself up in the backseat. I handed her her bag and closed the door after I knew she was secure in the car.

"Not me." She replied once I was in the car. "When I get to high school, I'm gonna be the queen. I'm going to rule school and I'm gonna be beau-ful. You just wait Emmy." I laughed as I turned the key to start the car.

"Whatever you say Aves." Soon enough, the car was rolling out of the driveway and we were down the street headed towards the daycare center. Luckily, I found it with minimal problems. And Avery went without any problems as well, thankfully. With ten minutes till the school day started and my foot antsy on the gas pedal, I started towards the high school.

I scurried down the hall as I heard the warning bell ring overhead, signaling that there was one minute to get to class before being late. There was no way I was going to be on time now. I sighed and pushed through the door to the main office, feeling my stomach churn with anxiety. The lady behind the front desk smiled up at me as I walked in.

"What can I do for you?" She asked politely. I smiled back at her as I handed her a packet of papers my dad filled out the day before.

"Registration forms." I replied. She nodded, taking the papers from me and picking up a pen from the cup on her desk.

"Just moved here?" She inquired, checking off things with the pen. I nodded, picking at a hangnail on my thumb.

"Yes."

"Nervous?"

"Yes." She laughed, handing the packet back to me with a smile. I took them from her hands gently and tucked it in my bag, readjusting it on my shoulder again.

"Don't be. You'll do fine." Her words gave me little comfort. "You'll like it here, trust me." I nodded, still smiling through my nerves.

"Thanks." _But no thanks._

I turned and exited the office to walk to the locker that was assigned to me, the number and combination was written on the paper. The knot in my stomach wrenched tighter as I neared the empty locker. I saw the faint lines of graffiti on the locker, red lines that refused to be washed. My eyes squinted to read the faded word, '_killer_'. I shook my head, opening the locker and placing my nearly empty bag into it.

Of course I heard the stories. The girl who went missing and was found murdered in someone's backyard. Admittedly I didn't know _all _the stories. I mean, I had just moved here a day prior. And I knew there was a reason we got the house as cheep as we did. I just hope it wasn't _our _backyard she was found in. An involuntary shiver ran up my spine as I shoved all those thoughts to the back of my mind, grabbed my supplies and closed the locker. My first class was English with Montgomery, Ella. She_ sounds_ pleasant enough.

I walked down the hallway until I reached the right room number, then lightly rapped on the door. I heard footsteps and muffled talking, then the door opened to a smiling woman.

Her hair was long and dark and her eyes were welcoming. The smile on her face was warming but weary at the same time. And I could tell she was a nice woman who had been around this type of environment for years. She stepped aside from the doorway and let me inside the classroom.

"You must be Emilia Anderson, the new student." I nodded curtly, gazing at the classroom. I wanted to tell her to just call me Emma, but my shyness and nervousness got the best of me, making my tongue seem like it was made of lead. "Well, I'm Mrs. Montgomery. Um, why don't you take a seat behind Emily there, Emily raise your hand for Emilia." She said in the direction of the rows of desks. A tan girl with long black hair put her hand in the air in a sort of wave. I smiled at Mrs. Montgomery and took my seat behind Emily. Emily smiled politely at me, along with a dark haired girl with light skin and a boy with shaggy blonde hair, though I hadn't learned their names yet. The class carried on their discussion, barely paying any extra attention to the new girl in the back of the class, thankfully. And soon, the class was over.

I stood from my seat when the bell sounded, gathering my stuff and walking to the door. I was going to ask Emily where my next class was, since she was officially the only person I knew at this school aside from Mrs. Ella Montgomery. Well, I know their names at least. I walked down the hallway and, luckily, I saw Emily and also luckily her locker wasn't far from mine.

"Emily!" I called as I neared her locker, making sure she wouldn't leave. She smiled as I got closer, closing the metal door.

"Hey Emilia." She said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.

"Call me Emma, please." I said with a laugh. "But, can you help me with something?" I asked nervously.

"Sure, what is it?" Emily laughed quietly, peering at the paper in my hand.

"Can you tell me where this class is?" I asked, pointing at my next class on the paper. My nerves had died down a little while sitting in the class alone with my thoughts, but speaking to someone I barely knew got my stomach acting up again. I cursed my shyness.

"Um, just keep going down the hall until you hit the dead end and it's the last door on your right." She said nicely, showing a little compassion for the new girl. I sighed and smiled at her. The day is going to be way easier than I thought if everyone here was as nice as Emily. And I prayed to whoever would listen that they were.

"Thank you so much." I said as I waved, walking down the hall in the direction Emily told me. But, before I could reach it, a tall sturdy body stopped me as I ran right into it, chest to face. "Oh, sorry." I said quickly, looking up at the dark haired boy in front of me. He gave me a smirk.

"It's fine, it was my fault." I smiled nervously, going to step around his built body, but to only have him go the same way, blocking me again. We both shared a laugh as he held his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Noel." I smiled, taking his hand in a gentle shake.

"Emma." I said as I released his hand and let it go back to holding the blue binder in my hand.

"I haven't seen you around before." He said conversationally. "Are you new?" I nodded, tightening my grip on the binder without even realizing it.

"Yeah, just moved here yesterday." Noel nodded, smiling at me. My knees nearly buckled, his smile was so _cute_. My eyes floated to a clock that hung on the wall behind him, showing me I had about thirty seconds to get to my next class on time. I must have been too distracted by this boy to even hear the warning bell. Noel followed my gaze and saw the time.

"I better get to class." He said, almost sadly. "But, I'll see you around Emma." I smiled, waving as he slowly walked away.

"See you around Noel." I replied with a smile as I walked towards my next class. Wow.

_I could get used to the guys in this town._

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><p><strong>AN**  
><strong>Well, I hope everyone likes it as of now. This whole thing is new to me. Well, actually publishing something is at least, not the writing part. But, I can never find any Jason D or Noel K OC fics so why not make one myself. Reviews would mean the world. Thank you. <strong>


	2. Chapter Two

**Drinks-Extra-Skinny-Lattes Scary**

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><p>I couldn't help the deep sigh of relief that escaped my lips when the last bell of the day went off at 3 o'clock. Finally, the scariest and most nerve-wracking part is over. I had lucked out during lunch, since the school counselor thought that it would be good for me to eat in her room so we could talk. She made sure to drill me inconspicuously about my previous schools, my condition, and my home life. But, I didn't complain, I would rather be given the third degree than try to find a seat in a cafeteria full of people who wouldn't want me there anyways. So with that thankful thought in mind, I gathered up my things in a hurried pace while everyone else did the same thing. Then got up to bolt out the door behind everyone else. My locker was down a whole floor and at least across half the school. I'm not exactly sure since this school is still pretty new to me yet. As I neared the stair-case, I felt another person start walking in pace next to me. I looked over and smiled, noticing the dark-haired, tall boy from this morning. He mirrored my smile as we descended the stair-case side by side.<p>

"Hey Emma," He said in a polite, almost chipper, tone.

"Hi Noel." I replied back, in an equally as polite (but not as chipper) a tone.

"How was your first day at Rosewood high?" He asked playfully, nudging my arm with his. Although it was more like he was nudging my shoulder. Noel was very tall when he's compared to me. We had gotten off the steps and were now working our way down the hallway filled with eager and not to mentions sweaty teens. I nearly cringed at the familiar smell of BO that coated the halls of the high school.

"Well I didn't hang myself from a shower rod in the girls locker room so I think that's a good sign." I said light-heartedly. We both laughed as the halls got emptier and emptier with each passing second.

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it." He said, still laughing lightly. "But seriously, how did your first day go?" I smiled a tiny smile and noticed we were nearing the hallway that had my locker in it.

"My day turned out okay actually, better than most first days I've had." I shrugged, clutching my book tighter against my chest. He nodded, but the expression on his face was a questioning one.

"How many times _have_ you moved schools?" I gave a hardy sighed at his question as we turned down the hallway that held my locker. He was obviously just going where I was going. I pushed down the feeling of flattery and pushed my hair behind my ear.

"This year, twice." I said. "In my life," I paused to do a quick count in my head. "Between ten and thirteen times." He gave me a sympathetic look as we neared my locker.

"That's rough." He said solemnly, letting his hand rake through his unbelievably messy-but-neat-hair. "I've lived here my whole life, I don't exactly love it here but it's a nice place to grow up." I nodded, reaching up to turn the dial on my locker.

"I grew up mostly in New York and New Jersey. This is the first time I've ever been in Pennsylvania." My hand pulled open my locker easily as he leaned against the locker next to mine. "It isn't bad here, but I can't help but miss New Jersey."

"Where are you from in New Jersey?" He inquired, quirking an eyebrow. I couldn't help the smile as I grabbed all the books and binders I needed to bring home with me. Thinking about New Jersey made me think of home, home-made me think of mom, and mom made me think of happier times.

"Most recently, Camden. But we also lived in Belvidere and Somerville before that." He nodded and pushed off the lockers as I closed mine. I slung my newly filled bag on my shoulder and looked at Noel. "Not exactly Jersey City but still, they were great places."

"I'm sure anywhere in New Jersey is a great place to live." He said as we started heading towards the front doors of the school. "Did you know that Frank Sinatra is from Hoboken, New Jersey?" I laughed and nodded, very aware of that fact thanks to _Cake Boss_.

"Yes I did." He looked down at me while we were walking side by side. But his gaze was caught by a girl standing at her locker. She had tan skin and dark hair that went to the middle of her shoulder blades. Her head turned towards us and I couldn't help but notice the look she had when she saw me. Her eyes were narrowed into slits and her arms crossed over the binder in her hands.

"Um," Noel mumbled, his mood taking a dramatic change for the worse. "I gotta go but I'll see you around tomorrow, Emma." He had left my side before I had a chance to respond as he sped off in the direction of the girl. They immediately started to argue. I decided listening in would be a bad idea as it looked like the brunette was out for blood as she practically spewed venom. Noel didn't look fazed though. So I shrugged while I headed off towards the front doors of the school to retreat to my car and drive home.

The front door unlocked with a soft '_click_' as I entered into the foyer of this unbelievably impressive house. It will definitely take some time to get used to having a house this big. I closed the door behind me rather loudly as I ran in the direction of the stairs that led up to all the bedrooms, two bathrooms, and my dad's study.

"Emma?!" I heard Karen yell from, I presumed, the kitchen. "Is that you?!"

"Yeah, it's me!" I yelled back as I threw my backpack on my bed and turned on my heels to retreat back out of my room and down the stairs. Karen greeted me with a quiet smile as she stood at the counter, cutting up different vegetables for dinner.

"So how was your first day?" She asked as I sat down on a stool at the island. I shrugged and picked up an apple off the tray of fruit. My teeth sunk into the apple hungrily before I answered.

"Just like any other first day I've had." I said with a neutral face, not showing any distaste but also not showing any positivity. The look I've worn more and more lately. Karen gave me a side-ways glance as she dumped some carrots and broccoli in a pot on the stove.

"So in other words it sucked." She concluded with a short laugh. I sighed and eyed the long blue pill canister that rest on the counter top. Karen followed my gaze and gave me a look that told me not to disobey her. "You take your pills yet today?" She questioned accusingly. I huffed as I gently reached for the stupid thing.

"No." I grumbled, popping open the flap that said '_Mo_' and dumping the pills in my hand. "Why do I have to take these stupid things at seven-teen but dad doesn't even need to take Viagra yet." My words came out rushed and mumbled, so I was surprised that Karen actually heard me.

"Hey," She scolded. "That's not funny. Don't play around about that. I don't need you jinxing him." She said, her voice dancing on the line between joking and serious. I let out a snort of a laugh and shook my head.

"Whatever," The blue container made a light _clack_ on the counter top as I threw it back in it's place and stood up from the stool. "I'm gonna go change and see if that restaurant in town is hiring." She nodded as she continued to stir the contents in the pot on the stove.

"Kay, dinner's at five." She warned. "Don't be late." I nodded and trotted up the stairs to change out of this skirt that was making me itch all day and into something a little more comfortable. So I threw a pair of ripped shorts and an off-white shirt that stopped a bit below my mid-drift. It wasn't as formal as I wanted, especially since I was going to try to get job, but I don't know, the outfit was sort of calling my name, I guess. I didn't bother with my hair or make-up and just bolted out the door, cell phone and car keys in hand.

When I trotted out of the door, I nearly ran into, who'd have guessed, Emily standing on my porch. She was holding a basket of items that looked like soups and different wines and cheeses.

"Hey Emily," I said. "What are you doing here?" I questioned with a noticeable amount of curiosity in my voice.

"Um, my mom thought that we should properly welcome our neighbors to Rosewood." I smiled as she handed me the basket, that was complete with a blue bow tied nearly perfectly on the handle. "She was going to yesterday but she was a little busy." My head bobbed in understanding.

"That's totally fine. It's not like we were expecting a welcoming committee or anything." I laughed, popping back into my house to set the basket next to the door. When I came back out Emily was sitting on the rail of our porch, her leg bobbing like she was nervous about something, or she was becoming impatient with my lolly-gagging. I opened my mouth to say something, anything to break the silence, but she beat me to it.

"I saw you talking to Noel Kahn today." She said, as I began walking down the porch steps, her following. "Twice. Do you know him?" I shrugged, slowly walking down the path beside Emily.

"I guess, he was just being nice to the new girl." I laughed. "Why?" Her left shoulder lifted in a half shrug and she turned to me when we reached my car.

"He isn't exactly the nicest guy in town." She said, playing with the strap of her purse.

"But he sure is cute isn't he?" I giggled, readying my keys so that directly after this conversation was over I could get right into my car. She smiled slightly.

"I guess but he isn't really my type." I nodded, understandingly. Not every girl is into a tall, messy dark hair, olive skin, calming blue eyes, prominent jaw lines, with a hint of a bad boy aura, type guy.

"Off the record, he is definitely my type." She shook her head, as not exactly a frown crossed her face but it was not a smile.

"He has a girlfriend. And she's scary." She said. "Like, it-girl, ruin your social life, drinks-extra-skinny-lattes scary." I nodded, taking this under extreme consideration. "You don't wanna get on her bad side, trust me."

"Duly noted. Don't mess with Noel Kahn, or scary girlfriend. Got it." She smiled and glanced in another direction.

"I have to go, I have a swim meet tonight." She said, backing away from my car slightly. "But I'll see you at school, okay?" I nodded and clicked the unlock button on my remote.

"Yeah see you around." I made sure she was completely out of the way before I backed out of the drive way and made my way towards the Rosewood Grill.

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><p><strong>AN**

**Okay theres the second chapter. I hope Noel doesn't seem out of character. Please let me know what you think. **

**And I don't exactly have a set updating schedule. Just kind of, when I finish a chapter, I'll put one up. I'm only up to chapter three so it will probably be in about a week when I'm farther ahead. But, no worried, I won't leave the story high and dry. **

**PM me, review, whatever if you have a questions, critiques, concerns. If you don't agree with something I've done. I want this story to be successful, and constructive criticism is just what it needs. **

**And a special thank you to _ForeverYourTruly19_ for the review.**

**Thank you. xoxo**


	3. Chapter Three

**Can I Borrow Your Pen?**

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><p>The car pulled to a gentle stop as I applied the break. The quaint little restaurant looked like the perfect place to work as a waitress. It didn't look like it got too busy but I guess the people here are nice so they'll tip good. I mean, I'm only as lazy as the next, I don't mind hard work. But if I could find a job that didn't work me like a dog and still paid me enough to live off, I wasn't going to complain. I made sure to turn on the parking break before I killed the engine and exited the car. My converse scraped on the pavement as my feet moved up onto the sidewalk and into the glass door. I walked up to the counter of the bar and got the attention of the woman working.<p>

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Do you have any job openings?" I replied back with a question. She smiled and nodded.

"As a matter of fact, we do." I smiled happily, letting my happiness show. "I'll get you an application." Before I could thank her, she has already hurrying behind a door to get my application. I looked to my left as I took a seat on a stool. There was a man sitting one stool down from me. His dirty blonde hair fell long around his face as he took a sip out of his cup. And his back and arms told me he looked very impressive underneath his tight blue shirt. A blush nearly rose to my cheeks thinking about it. He was very handsome, but like I said, he was a _man_. Too old for a high school girl to drool over. So I turned my attention back ahead of me just in time for the lady to come back with an application and a pen.

"Thank you. " I said, expressing my gratitude.

"No problem, just fill it out and give it back to me and I'll make sure, personally, the manager gets back to you." She smiled. I nodded and went to grab the paper and pen and began filling out the application.

_**Last Name: **__Anderson __**First Name:**__ Emilia _

Not long into the process of writing my information out, the guy next to me tapped on my shoulder. "Excuse me." He said. I looked up at him, smiling gently to cover my nerves. "It wouldn't be a trouble for me to use that pen really quick would it?" I shook my head as I handed the pen to him, careful not to make contact with his fingers.

"Not at all." He smiled and used the pen to write his signature on the receipt for his food.

"You filling out an application?" He questioned, handing the pen back to me. I accepted it while I nodded in response to his question. "Well, if you get the job, don't forget to give me a pen if you want me to sign the receipt." I giggled as I watched him gather his things to leave.

"Of course not." He gave me another smile as he left to walk out of the restaurant. A small sigh left my lips as I returned to filling the application out.

I finished, not five minutes later and handed the paper back to the nice lady behind the counter, bidding her good afternoon as I did so. I checked the clock on my cell phone; **3:57 pm**. Too early to go home, but no friends to call.

_What a dilemma. _

I decided to take a walk around the town. Seeing as I didn't know the area very well and doing some sight-seeing wouldn't hurt. As long as I was back to my car by 4:40 pm.

My feet carried me down the sidewalk and past a few stores that seemed interesting. I would have stopped had I brought money. But, since to me, the idea of window shopping made me wanna bang a brick against my skull repeatedly, I kept walking and enjoying the fresh air. The colors of the trees were a rich green color and the sun shone through them to create a beautiful green filter. It took everything in me not to stop and look at them all day.

The sound of basketballs being dribbled on asphalt made me turn my attention to the right. I saw a bunch of boys playing basketball, some shirtless some wearing flimsy tanks or t-shirts. Making me assume that this was some kind of shirts vs skins type thing. I stopped momentarily to admire the view of the impressively built teenagers and young adults and thank my lucky starts for the route I chose. But, quickly took it back as I caught the eyes of one of the players, making me immediately look away and continue my walk. But, I didn't have time to be embarrassed. Because he was jogging up to me, shirtless and all.

"Hey you're the girl from the Grill right?" I looked up, really seeing him. And indeed, he was the handsome man that sat one stool down from me and asked to borrow my pen. I swallowed, attempting to push down the nerves so I seem confident to this guy.

"Um, yeah. That's me." He smiled, pushing his hair back from his face. I couldn't help but look at his impressive stature. And by look I mean gawk.

"Are you following me?" He joked. I let a breathy laugh escape my mouth as I moved my weight from my left hip to my right.

"No, don't flatter yourself." I said, giving him a squinty smile caused by the rays of the sun. "I barely even recognized you with your shirt off anyways." He laughed.

"Glad my disguise works then." He said jokingly. A small laugh left my lips as I pulled at the hem of my shirt, trying to cover the possibly exposed skin above my shorts.

"Who wouldn't be?" I responded. He shrugged, adjusting the strings of his shorts. "So what exactly is this?" I asked, gesturing to the basketball court a few feet away. He glanced back quickly and then looked back at me.

"Just a pickup game that most of the high school guys play in. I played in it sometimes when I was in high school. Thought I'd stop by and play a few games." I nodded, looking around at all the guys dribbling and shooting baskets. "Currently it's shirts verses skins." He said, confirming my previous assumption.

"I thought so," I muttered, pushing a strand of my brown hair behind my ear and trying to block the sun from invading my irises. He just nodded and looked back at the court, giving me the hint that he wanted to get back, but didn't want to be rude. "Look, I have to get back home. But, it was nice meeting you..."

"Jason." He replied, holding his hand out to shake. I grasped it in mine softly and smiled at him, looking at his eyes.

"Nice meeting you Jason. I'm Emma." He nodded, his eyes danced below my shirt to the sliver of skin that was exposed above my shorts.

"Nice meeting you Emma." I smiled and nodded, releasing his hand to continue on my path down the sidewalk. His hand was warm, obviously from having been playing basketball before talking to me. The image of his shirtless torso was imprinted on the inside of my eyelids and the itch to run my fingers through his hair was prominent. But, I successfully kept my hormones in check as I turned away from the court.

"Mike, it's me, still wondering where you are." I heard a distressed female voice say as I was making my way back to the path that should eventually lead me to my car. It was a girl, I didn't know anything about her or even her name, but judging by her attire, this basketball court was not her afterschool hangout. "Kay, um, I'm at the park. I'm trying to give you your keys so pick up." Frustration practically radiated off her as she hung up her phone. And, before I could even swerve out of the way, she turned and walked right into me. When I looked at her face I realized that she was the raven haired girl from my first period. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said, clearly in some kind of bad mood, may it be confusion, irritation, or anger, caused by this _Mike_ person.

Or maybe I was just being nosy.

"It's fine." I assured, rubbing my hands on my shorts. She paused a moment, assessing me. Probably recognizing me from somewhere before but not quite remembering where exactly.

"Do I know you from somewhere? You seem vaguely familiar." She said, almost to her self rather than to me. I let my head bob as I straightened my shirt and tugged it down a little, feeling the breeze roll under the fabric and give me a small chill.

"Yeah, I'm the new girl in you're English class." I admitted. I was about a second away from saving her and myself the embarrassment of her not remembering me and me actually remembering her. But, I wasn't a good liar, it actually gave me anxiety just thinking about lying to someone who I was going to see the next day at school.

"Oh, right sorry." She shook her head, finally jogging her memory. "Emilia right? Emilia Anderson?" I nodded my head at her, almost impressed that she not only remembered my first name but my last also. Although, I couldn't say as much for myself.

"Yup, that's me. But you can call me Emma. Actually I insist you call me Emma." I said, making us both laugh shortly. But it kind of faded awkwardly since I didn't know how to continue since I clearly didn't know her name. But luckily, she realized that and decided to introduce herself.

"I'm Aria-" She was about to finish when her eyes cut to behind me, then they practically became slits filled with rage and exasperation. "I'm sorry but I have to go, I'll see you at school Emilia- I mean Emma." And before I could say something like 'Yeah see you later,' or 'Goodbye,' she was whipping around me and yelling at a boy sitting on a bench, sweating and antsy to get back in the game. Probably this Mike character previously mentioned. "Mike! Hey! Mike!" Yup, and that's the culprit. I didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation, finally making it out of the park and onto the sidewalk.

The front door opened and shut in one swift motion. The curtain over the windows next to it blowing in the breeze it caused. I kicked my shoes off and threw my keys on the steps, telling myself to pick them up later. My hair immediately went up into a ponytail as I went into the bathroom by the stairs to adjust it to my liking and use the bathroom.

"Emma?! Is-"

"Yes Karen, it's me!" I cut her off as I exited the bathroom and walked into the kitchen. She gave me look over her shoulder while she stirred the pot that still sat on the stove. Except it was emitting an intoxicating aroma that nearly made my knees buckle.

"I was going to ask if your father was home yet but if you're going to be sassy then I won't even ask now." I rolled my eyes and hopped up onto the granite countertop glancing at the microwave to see it was a few minutes past five.

_That's weird._

Dad gets off at four thirty, picks up Ave from day care, and is home by five. I mean, yeah we're in a different town now and timing will be different, but this town is smaller. So he should be home sooner than that. Unless Ave is having one of her meltdowns in the parking lot. She has those a lot. Especially after we move. But, Karen didn't seem worried, so she probably knew something I didn't and didn't bother telling me.

My relationship with Karen can be summed up by no other word than complicated.

She came into my life when I was ten as my dad's too-soon-after-mom girlfriend. But, too soon for me was four years and my dad was tired of being miserable by himself. So of course I didn't like her one bit. I can actually honestly say that I _hated_ her for the first year she was around. In my mind, she was trying to replace my mom, and _no one_ can replace her. Still can't. Karen tried to be apart of my life, I know she did. She tried so hard to be my friend. Because honestly, she didn't try to be my mom, she wouldn't have dared. She knew no one was going to be as amazing to me as my mom, and she didn't try to be. She offered makeovers and girls nights every weekend until I was twelve. And that was around the time I realized that she wasn't going anywhere no matter what I did. My dad really loved her, and after I stopped looking at her through my grumpy little kid eyes, I realized that she loved my dad too. And after I got over my sour feelings and lingering grief, I stopped being so bitter. These days she's more like a sister than a mom, but that doesn't mean it's all sleepovers and borrowing each other's clothes. Fighting like sisters comes with the title too. And sometimes she makes me want to rip my hair out, like I probably do to her too. But at least now with Ave around Karen doesn't channel all her frustrations on me and dad. _Because damn can that women yell_.

"Dinner should be done in a few minutes do you think you could set the table?" I sighed and nodded, grabbing a stack of plates from the china cabinet to take into the dining room.

"Why isn't dad home yet?" Karen looked at me over her shoulder, like she always does when she's cooking.

"He said he needed to pick up some things from the hardware store after work." She responded, looking back at her soup on the stove. "Like paint for your room." She mumbled. I almost dropped the plates, the $120 each plates, that Karen got from her great-grandmother. Come to think of it, I don't even know why I grabbed these plates. I should probably put them away before Karen realizes that I'm even touching them.

"Did you just say paint for my room?" I asked while I zoomed back into the kitchen. Karen giggled, turning the burner on low and shifting to look directly at me.

"That I did." It looked like she was going to have an aneurism trying to hold back her smile. "Your dad and I thought that it would be a good idea to let you paint your room that color you wanted."

"Blondi blue?!" I almost leaped across the island and tackled her, but I settled with walking around it and hugging her. She laughed and hugged me back. I have never been allowed to paint my bedroom. Ever. And them letting me, _and_ letting me pick the color. I was beyond grateful. "Thank you, thank you, Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Karen pushed me gently out of the hug. "Now go set the table."

Dad came home soon after that with Ave, _and my paint_. We ate and cleared the table and talked about my uneventful day. Although Karen didn't think associating with two good looking guys and receiving free wine and cheese was uneventful. And she made sure to get a full, on point description of them both. But, I didn't care to mention that Jason was shirtless the second time I saw him while my dad was in the room though.

After dinner, dad said he would let me start painting on Saturday when my unpacking was done and I didn't have school. So, I quickly scrambled to my room after I was dismissed, grabbing my keys on the way up, and closed my bedroom door behind me. I had unpacking to get done, and_ lots of it_.

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><p><strong>AN**

**Oops I lied I decided to put the chapter up today. I think my set update day will be Sunday. So look around for a chapter update on Sundays. I hope you guys enjoyed it. And I know it seems like I just kind of faded out so I could end it, but these were intended to be two different chapters, they just seemed too short, so I combined them. Reviews are appreciated. **

**A special thank you to _Liz_ for reviewing and an apology to _ForeverYoursTruly19_ for spelling your name wrong on the last chapter. **

**Thank you. xoxo**


	4. Chapter Four

**New Friends**

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><p><em>ROSEWOOD OBSERVER<em>

_**MURDER SOLVED**_

I read the headline of the paper in my dad's hands as I sat at the table the next morning before school. It was everywhere, the paper, the television, the local news website. You could say that this pretty, blonde murder victim was somewhat of a celebrity. My orange juice was cold as it ran down my dry throat.

"Dad," I said, catching his attention across the table. "What's the story on that murder mystery?" He looked at me over his glasses, folding the paper and brandishing it at me.

"Take a look for yourself, it's quite an interesting read." I gave him a skeptical look as I nabbed the paper from his fingers.

_The murder mystery regarding Alison Dilaurentis was officially closed late last night. The local missing person, Ian Thomas, was found outside of town by his fiance and five witnesses, four being only high school students, after committing suicide. The police recovered a note at the scene that was in fact, Thomas' suicide note. The note stated, "I killed Alison." Despite his vague delivery regarding if he was referring to Alison Dilaurentis, his confession and a collection of evidence that tied him to the murder was all the RWPD needed to close the case. Thomas' fiance, Melissa Hastings, has no comment regarding her husband's crimes and does not wish to speak with an interviewer. As per the Dilaurentis family. There is no talk of a funeral service for Ian Thomas. _

"Mhm," I hummed. My eyes stopped there. There was no need for me to read past that point since I got all the information I needed to quench my curiosity. I wasn't from this town. Knowing that Alison Dilaurentis is resting at peace does not bring me any kind of ease. I mean, I'm thrilled that her family and friend's have closure, but these answers mean nothing to me.

"You didn't even read the whole thing." Dad pouted, snatching the paper back. I laughed lightly and placed my empty glass in the sink. My eyes floated to the clock on the microwave, **7:23 AM**.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" I asked dad while I put my book bag over my left shoulder.

"Nope," He replied apathetically. "I got today off." My eyebrows raised.

"Get out." I said, leaning over to slip my pre-tied converse on my feet. "I thought your boss was a total hard ass."

"The one in New Jersey was, but this one," His eyes gazed off a bit. "Is amazing. And don't say that." He tried reprimanding me but I only shrugged. "I told him that we were a little behind on unpacking and he gladly gave me a day off to catch up." I smiled as I backed out of the kitchen.

"I'm glad you like your new boss." My voice was filled with earnest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something to do with my life today. Unlike some people." He gave me a look until I was out of the kitchen. I grabbed Ave and hurried her into the car so neither of us were late.

I pulled up to the school shortly after, my car slowing to an eventual stop in the parking lot. The engine died after I yanked out the key and the music blaring from the radio stopped abruptly. There was only one thing on my mind, _I need coffee_.

My white converse scuffed the ground while I shuffled in line for my coffee at the cart in the court-yard. Waiting in line has always made me feel especially awkward. I never know where to look so I just let my eyes float around. But, that usually leads to eye contact with someone who I probably don't know, that last a few seconds too long. And I never know what to do with my hands. And the skinny jeans I decided to wear today prevent me from putting them in my pockets. I don't like folding my arms, because apparently that makes people think that you're a closed off person and it makes you seem unapproachable. So I just keep them in fists by my sides.

My emerald eyes scoped the outdoor seating area once more, my eyes stopping at Emily and Aria. Since, after all, they were the only people I know in the vicinity. They were sitting together, along with two others. And it seemed like they were having a very in-depth conversation over a device that resembled an iPad. If I was correct, all the girls seated there were in my English class.

"Excuse me," My eyes snapped to the forefront of my vision. "What can I get you?" The impatient cashier asked from behind the kart.

"Oh, sorry." I apologized, then told her my order of a regular coffee with two sugars, cream, and a shot of caramel. I paid and got my drink, taking a greedy sip to get the caffeine running through my veins as fast as possible. Then, feeling an unusual amount of confidence, I started towards the four girls. As I approached, their conversation stopped. Aria smiled at me and Emily noticed me , but the other two gave me strange looks.

"Hey Emma," Aria said, smiling up at me as she took a sip from her cup. I waved shyly at her, like I do when I don't know someone well yet.

"Good morning Aria," I then turned to the long-haired girl to my right. "Emily." She nodded, seeming almost out of it, like she did the night before at my house. Maybe that's just the way Emily is, naturally brooding. I looked at the two others as they gave me questioning looks, knowing I had to shove my nerves away and introduce myself to end this torture. "I'm Emma, I'm pretty sure I'm in your English class." I said, addressing them both.

"Yeah, I remember you." The one with dark hair said, she reached across the table to shake my hand. "I'm Spencer Hastings," Her brown eyes looked to the blonde beside her. She looked like a scolding mother, yelling at her with her eyes to greet me politely. That made me feel more out-of-place than anything. The sour blonde looked up at me and smiled, clearly faking it for Spencer.

"Hanna," I sucked my lips into my mouth, not wanting to say something to anger her more. It was obvious that she was having a bad morning and didn't want to have to deal with the new girl.

"Nice to meet you both." I tried to smile as politely as possible at the pair. From my vantage point, I saw a police officer walking up to the table. "I'll see you guys in English." I said, turning and leaving them to their conversation once more. Aria and Spencer smiled in good-bye, while Hanna looked indifferent and Emily seemed too distracted to have even heard me. I turned and walked into the school to find my way to English.

The day was going by pretty slowly. It felt like my first three classes went by in a long, boring blur, then suddenly I was standing at the head of the cafeteria looking for a seat. Part of me was looking for the girls. That way I could be at least sitting with someone who I actually know somewhat and can maybe even have a conversation. But, the other part, the more shy part, was trying to find an empty table so I could sit alone and eat my lunch in peace.

"Emma!" I heard to my right. "Hey! Emma!" The voice belonged to none other than Noel Kahn himself. Ironic that when a cute boy wants to talk to me, he has to be a closet jerk involved with the scary it-girl. Funny how high school_ is_ like the movies sometimes. I sighed to myself, deciding that I wouldn't get away with pretending I didn't hear him. The whole cafeteria could hear him. I looked in his direction and saw his table full of guys who look just like him, as in handsome jocks.

"Hey Noel," I said, sounding defeated. His boyish smile and nearly twinkling eyes were making it really hard for me to be callous towards him.

"Hello Emilia," I scrunched my nose at the name, wondering what would possess him to call me that. "Why don't you sit with us?" He asked, gesturing to the seat across from him, between two large jocks. I looked at them, probably having an expression resembling an injured fawn. "C'mon, we won't bite-"

"Very hard." The jock next to Noel joked, smacking hands with the boy that would be sitting on my right. He looked up at my face and smiled. "I'm only kidding." I nodded, smiling back at him. Even though these attractive boys made me fear for my sanity, not to mention my remaining innocence, maybe befriending them would warrant me a few older brothers.

But, I was jumping ahead of myself. If I was going to befriend them, I needed to sit down.

The table broke out in small cheers and whoops when I plopped down in the blue chair, dropping my bag beside me. I smiled at all the boys around and took in their details. Including Noel, there were five boys.

"Well, we should do introductions." Noel said. "This is Chad Brown," He said, referring to the pale boy on his right. He had brown hair that was styled to a quiff and his eyes were a shiny baby blue. They definitely fell under the_ Dreamy_ category. "That's Royce Blandina," This was directed towards the guy sitting on my right, who smacked hands with Chad. He had caramel skin and short black hair styled into a high top. His eyes reminded me of mine, they were a distinct shade of green. "Chase Grey," Noel's eyes landed on the boy on my left, who had about the same shade hair as me, it was cut short into a buzz cut, and his amber eyes were warm and his nose was dusted with freckles. "And this is Damion Coughster." The last boy was seated next to Noel. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was tousled and his dark brown eyes drooped with sleep.

"Damion looks tired." I commented, seeing him give me a laggard smile.

"We all know what Damion was doing last night." Royce teased, biting into his burrito. I sat back, ready to observe the way the male adolescent acts in his natural habitat.

"Why don't you call your mom and ask her what I was doing." Damion retorted with a drowsy tint to his words. The other boys ooh'd while I stayed silent.

"Nah man, your mom used up all my minutes." Royce said, looking at his phone. "Picture messages are extra." I mentally gagged at what he was implying. Damion threw a fry at Royce while the other boys cheered.

"So Emma," Chad said after everyone quieted down. I looked up at him. "You single?" He asked, wriggling his brows at me.

"Woah dude," Chase cut in. "Jump right into it why don't you." He chuckled, looking at me and giving me a pitying smile. I looked back at Chad and shook my head.

"Yeah, I'm single." Chad smirked at me from his seat. "But I'm not looking."

"Damn," Royce smiled at me. "You know, I'm starting to like you." I chewed on my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling too big. The last thing I wanted to do was to seem like a desperate mess, but I was glad I was starting to fit in at least somewhere.

"Okay, okay." Noel jumped in beaming at us. "Enough of this, let's talk about something serious. Something that must be discussed before we leave." Chad whooped and did a bro shake with Royce and Chase. I gave them all a look in confusion. Hoping one of them would explain to me what was going on.

"Wait, what is it?" I questioned.

"My party Friday night."

_Oi._

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><p><strong>Alright. I get it. You all probably hate me. I said I was going to update on Sunday and then totally abandon it for like, almost a month and a half. Not to mention that this chapter was only a filler. But, I can tell you that probably won't happen again. I mean, I won't promise that. I have some tests coming up that are really important and my high school career kind of depend on them. nbd.<strong>

**So, I wouldn't hold your breath for an update next weekend, but I will get one up as soon as possible.**

**But I'm thankful to everyone who reads, even if they don't review or fave or follow. Because just by having someone read it, that means my work is being seen. People are reading what I'm doing and some people are even liking it. It's unbelievable. **

**Reviews and Favorites and Follows always motivate me to write more though so you know, that would be good to have.**

**Thank you to Miss E Charlotte for the lovely review. **

**Thanks for the read xoxo**


	5. Chapter Five

**A Proposal**

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><p>"C'mon Emma," Chad pushed. Although, he wasn't making his case very convincing with a french fry hanging out of his mouth while he was talking around his mouthful of lunch. "You have to come to the party."<p>

After I told Noel that I couldn't possibly go to his party this Friday night, due to my unreasonably early curfew and over protective parents, him and the rest of the testosterone-train (my nifty new nick-name) decided to spend the whole lunch period trying to convince me other-wise.

"Yeah," Chase jumped in. He gave Chad a quick look of disgust before he looked back at me. "This would be a great opportunity for you to meet the teens of Rosewood. You know, mingle and stuff."

"And by 'stuff' he means get drunk and dance on tables while the wrestling team throws dollar bills at you." Damion clarified. I opened and shut my mouth for a bit, not having a clue what to say to that, while they continued to converse around me.

"That was not what I meant but thanks for going there." Chase chastised.

"Hey, you've been to plenty of parties." Damion retorted. "Tell me that's not how they all end." Chad then decided to jump back in.

"They do always end that way, now that I think about it." Royce was trying to hold himself together next to me so he wouldn't spit his milk all over the table from laughing. But, he gave in and let out an awkward chortle before speaking up.

"Guys," He cut in. "Maybe having this conversation isn't the smartest way to get her to go to the party."

_Finally, the voice of reason._

"Royce- for once- is right." Noel said, ignoring Royce's look of distaste. "Emma," He said, finally directing the conversation that was ultimately about me, to me. "The party will be great, music, dancing, drinks, and amazing people. And I promise, for all of us," He said, while giving all the boys a firm look. "That I and everyone at this table will not try anything on you that we would a regular party slut. And if we see you being approached by a drunk dick-head, we'll redirect him." The rest of them nodded in agreement before they looked at me again.

"Look," I started. "I'm thankful that you guys are trying to include me, and that promise almost sold me, seriously." The last part, I made sure, was very sarcastic. "But I have something that I have to do on Saturday. And I would like to get it done before I go to bed."

"Wait," Royce said, interrupting me. "Are you implying that you're actually going to bed on Saturday?" He asked incredulously.

"That's even worse than not going out on a Friday night." Chase added. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, I thought that you would at least be doing _something_ on Saturday night." Chad said, border-line pitying.

"The point is," I gave them all annoyed looks before going on. "I don't want to stay out late because I have something important to do on Saturday. Not to mention my strict curfew," That doesn't exist. "and my over protective parents." Eh, they really aren't that over protective.

"How about this," Noel proposed. " You come to the party, stay a few hours, then go home. And we'll help you do whatever you have to do on Saturday. Six people will get it done faster than one."

"Wait we don't even know what we're helping her with." Chad said, giving me a suspicious look. "It isn't anything illegal is it?" They turned to look at me.

"No!" I exclaimed. "I'm painting my room." They all nodded, going back to eating their food.

"Well, do we have a deal?" Noel asked, he gave me a smile that should have made me melt. But, I just gave him a scrutinizing look.

"You promise to keep me away from the drunk party douche-bags?" I inquired, making sure that was part of our deal.

"I promise." He said.

"Yup, every one." Chase smiled.

"I'm more worried about Chad." Damion commented. We all looked at Chad, who had nearly half his chicken wrap in his mouth. I don't even think he could hear us over making love to his lunch.

"Yeah, we'll definitely have to keep an eye out for him, that wild man." Royce said sarcastically. I laughed a little before looking back at Noel.

"Okay."

"Okay what?" He pushed, lifting his eyebrows.

"Okay, we have a deal."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, school was over, and I was making my way from my last period to my locker. There were no plans for me to rush to, I hadn't gotten the call from the Apple Rose Grille and I had no friends to call to hang out with. But, I guess I was used to my schedule being empty though. It always was the first few weeks somewhere.<p>

I filled my bag with my things, making sure all the supplies I needed for the night was safely tucked away before shutting my locker. But, before I had the chance, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, I came face to face with the girl from yesterday, the one who was fighting with Noel in the hallway. Her hair was just as straight as it was yesterday, but her lips were painted red. I smiled at her, showing off my teeth.

"Hi," I said, hoping she would tell me what she wanted so I could go home. If I don't have any plans, I at least want to do nothing in the comfort of my own home.

"Hi," She replied in a condescending tone. "I'm Mona."

"Emma," I stated. At this point, I definitely made the connection that this was the girl Emily was talking about last night. _Scary It-Girl_. And she barely said three words to me.

_Either I'm awful clever, or she's just a bitch._

"I saw you at lunch today with Noel and his group of monkeys." She adorned a sugary sweet fake smile as she spoke, while my grin dropped the second her tone reached my ears. "I would be careful. They may be a bunch of baboons, but some of them can act like sweaty gorillas."

"Um-"

"I've gotta run," She interrupted me before I could even think of what to say. "There's a huge sale at this little boutique in town. Can't miss it." Her smile made me want to puke up my lunch. "Toodles." Mona flicked her hair over her designer clad shoulder before she turned to strut away from my locker. I huffed a puff of air before closing the metal door rather loudly.

Who was she to say something like that? Where does she get off to be able to tell me that I should _be careful_? That they_ act like sweaty monkeys_? They don't seem like that at all. I mean, I admit that I did just meet them. But, I should be able to judge their behavior for myself. She has no say in who I need to be _careful_ around. Who the hell does she think she is?

_Ugh, it might be a damage to my ego, but's she's just a bitch._

* * *

><p>Before my foot made it over the threshold of the main entrance of the school, my cell phone rang in my back pocket. At first I was confused, who could have possibly been calling me? The caller ID was an unfamiliar number, so throwing caution to the wind, I answered it.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this," there was a pause as if they were reading my name off of a sheet of paper. "Emilia Anderson?"

"Yeah," I hesitated, not sure if giving my identify away to this stranger was smart.

"Hello, Emilia. This is the Apple Rose Grille." My ears perked up considerably at that as I made my way to my car in the student parking lot. "I'm calling to inform you that your interview for an entry level position at our restaurant will be today at five-thirty. Is that alright?" I smiled, happy to finally hear from them. Although, the fact that my interview was in two hours made my stomach churn with my normal anxiety.

"Yes, absolutely, that's great." I rushed. "Thank you."

"I'll see you at your interview today, Emilia." They said. "Goodbye."

"Um-" The phone was hung up before I was able to reply. "Bye." I mumbled into the receiver. Despite being hung up on rather rudely, and having nearly no time to prepare for my job interview, I couldn't stop smiling. Getting a new job in a new area was always exciting. So, realizing I had no more time to waste, I hurried to my car and sped home.

* * *

><p>"Don't forget to sit up straight." Karen said, fixing my hair into a formal braided bun.<p>

"I know."

"And don't mess around with your hair a lot, or look at your reflection a whole bunch. You don't want them to think you're conceded." Her nimble fingers worked fiercely at my hair. My head jerked as she yanked each strand between her hands, creating an elegant french braid down my scalp.

"I know."

"And make sure you repeat every question in your answer, it makes you seem intelligent." My hand rested by my head, holding hair pins up for Karen to grab and jam into my head as she twirled the braid around in a circle in the back of my head. Having Karen do my hair was always a painful experience, but the results were always equally as amazing as painful.

"I know."

"And make sure you sit up straight- wait I already said that. Make sure you-"

"Karen," I said, looking at her in the mirror in the master bathroom her and my dad shared. "I remember all these tips from the last time I got a job. Stop worrying." She smiled softly at me, her stature relaxing against my back. Her grip on my head became significantly gentler after she relaxed. I held back the sigh of relief.

"I'm your step-mom, it's my job to worry about you." I handed her another hair pin with a smile. It warmed my heart when she worried in the most selfish way.

"I know," She wacked my forehead when she saw my eyes roll in the mirror. After she shoved the last pin in my hair, she smiled in triumph.

"There," She sighed. "Done." I grinned at the final result, standing from the stool she dragged in from the parlor. I looked over my outfit in the mirror, straightening my blue button-up blouse, pulling up my black dress pants, adjusting my matching black blazer, and wiggling my toes in my open toed black sandals.

"You did a wonderful job as always." I praised, admiring her work further.

"And you look beautiful, as always." Karen put her hands on my shoulders, looking at my through the mirror. Her smile was warm and welcoming, like it always has been.

"Oh shucks, Karen, you're making me blush." I joked, backing out of the bathroom, prancing down the stairs to grab my keys and eat a few bites out of a juicy red apple before I ventured to my nerve-wracking job interview that was starting in about 25 minutes.

"You know what I'm going to ask, right?" My eyes practically rolled themselves.

"Yeah yeah," I popped open the proper flap and threw back the pills before taking a greedy bite out of the apple. "There, can I go now?" I asked impatiently as I did a 360 degree turn in front of my fussy step-mom.

"Wait, wait, wait," She said, fixing the color of my blazer before smiling at me with her cheek dimples in full bloom. "Okay, now you can go." I sighed, turning to bolt out the door. "Dinner will be in the fridge when you get home!" She yelled at me quickly before I shut the door. As I was backing my car out of the driveway, my dad's grey hybrid pulled in after me. Ave was in the backseat, waving frantically at me. I laughed before speeding off to the interview, hoping I wouldn't be too close to being on time. One of Karen's tips:

Early is on time, on time is late.

* * *

><p>"So, why do you think I should pick you for this job over all the other applicants?" My sweaty palms rubbed against the soft fabric of my pants as I thought of my response.<p>

"Well," I thought back to Karen's advice: _And make sure you repeat every question in your answer, it makes you seem intelligent._ "You should pick me for this job over other applicants because I'm not scared to work hard, or take on extra shifts, or get my hands dirty; in a figurative sense of course. I would never handle food with dirty hands, sir."

"That's always a good trait for a bust girl, Miss Anderson." The burly man named Mr. Marx. Although, he didn't seem like the kind of guy who thought everyone should be equal (In reference to Karl Marx). But he wasn't necessarily unpleasant, just slightly rough on the exterior. "And what kind of experience do you have in the food service industry?"

"Well, I worked at a McDonalds about two months ago. And I was a waitress at a local diner when I lived in Belvidere, New Jersey." I replied, hoping that those were enough to make Mr. Marx think I was qualified enough to work as a bust girl.

"Hmm," He hummed to himself, looking down at my resume and application in his hands. I took this moment to look around the restaurant from the corner booth we were sitting in. My eyes caught sight of a mop of dirty blonde hair and a strong back seated at the bar, making me smile a little. My nerves were still there, but seeing Jason somehow made me a little happier to be there at this exact time. I saw his head turn in my direction, probably sensing me looking at him from across the room. When our eyes met, I didn't immediately turn away like I thought I was going to. I didn't clam up at the eye contact, but embraced it with a smile. No, it wasn't my shyness that made my eyes leave his, but the sound of an unhappy Mr. Marx trying to get my attention. I saw Jason chortle at me before I looked at my interviewer. "Miss Anderson, is there something sitting at the bar that's more important than this interview?"

"What? No sir."

"Because I mean, I can give him my seat, let you guys continue. He is quite a handsome fellow." I shook my head urgently, feeling the pins in my bun stabbing my head.

"Absolutely not Mr. Marx, I apologize for my rude behavior." He gave me a stern look, before looking back down at his cards to come up with another question for me to answer.

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><p><strong>AN**

**Okay. I'm back guys.**

**I know you all missed me.**

**Okay just kidding but seriously, I'm getting so excited for this story.**

**You'd think I'd update more with how excited I am.**

**But, next chapter will be the party, and it is gonna be awesome.**

**oh and sorry for jumping around alot in this chapter it wasn't my intention but i didn't feel like writing a million fillers and this chapter be a mammoth. **

**And you guys should start telling me whether you like Jemma(Jason and Emma) or Nemma(Noel and Emma) more. **

**Because I already have an idea of what's going to happen but your guys' opinions would be good.**

**And I wanna clear something up. **

**Emma is older than the girls. Yes, she is in their english class, but that's because with how much she's moved she has to take a sophomore english class. She is a junior, she is 17. I just wanted to make that clear. **

**Okay, so thank you for reading. Whether you review, favorite, follow, or none of the above, I wanna thank you for letting me waste your time.**

**And a special thank you to Guest, Miss E Charlotte, and twilight-luver(.com)[sorry the site was acting up and I couldn't put your proper username, many apologies] for the lovely reviews.  
><strong>

**xoxo**


	6. Chapter Six

**I'll Take What I Can Get**

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><p>"Well, it looks like times up Miss Anderson." Mr. Marx says, his eyes not meeting mine. I've been fidgeting in my seat since he scolded me for getting distracted by Jason. My few seconds of confidence was wasted on smiling at him cross the restaurant instead of answering questions so I could get an actual job. The husky man sitting across from me stood up, holding his papers to his side with one hand, offering his other over the table for a handshake. "It was nice to meet you, Emilia."<p>

"Nice to meet you, too, sir." I reply, nodding my head at him with a large smile. Mostly relieved that it was over. The moment he was out of sight, walking out of the Apple Rose Grille and probably out of my life, I let my posture slump into the cushion behind me. My heavy blazer was shed onto the booth and a particularly painful hair pin that held up my bangs was removed. The clock above the restrooms told me it was about 6:15. And not being in the mood to eat whatever Karen fixed for dinner, I raised my hand to summon a waiter.

"I take it the interview didn't go very well." I hear from above me. My head lifted from the menu to see Jason himself standing at the end of my table. My face flushed as I laid the laminated paper on the table. My bangs were pushed behind my ear before I decided to respond.

"Yeah, well, that guy was a stiff anyways." I say, playing it off as if I didn't desperately want this job. "Working for stiffs is never a fun gig."

"Working, period, is never a fun gig. Let alone as a bust girl." He says. I let a small chuckle leave my lips.

I guess he's right. Maybe my bombed interview was for my own good. Who would want to work for a man like Mr. Marx anyways?

"I guess you're right." Jason gestured to the seat in front of me, silently asking if it was okay to take the spot of my interviewer. I nodded immediately. Who am I to keep a man like Jason waiting?

"So I never got your last name." Jason says after he is comfortable in the booth across from me. I shyly hide behind my menu, trying not to act as if I have never had an intimate conversation with a boy, let alone a man, before.

"Um, Anderson," I reply, letting my eyes skim over the seemingly endless choices for dinner. But, my emerald eyes find their way to the blue hue of Jason's eyes. "Yours?"

"Dilaurentis," He says, watching me intently.

"Wow, that's a mouthful." I joke, seeing his eyebrows pull in briefly, before they return to their relaxed position above his soft eyes.

"Yeah, I guess it is." His surname bounces around my head for a moment. It was familiar to me. Literally on the tip of my tongue. But, nothing came up. "So, any plans for this dull Tuesday night?" He pushed the conversation on lightly.

"Um, no, not really. The interview was all I really had planned." I respond. "But, I wasn't really up to going home, so I was going to grab something to eat and maybe take a walk or something." He nods, playing with the packets of Sweet and Low at the table.

"Well hey, now neither of us have to eat dinner alone." I smiled at him, watching him tear a pink packet of sugar substitute onto the table.

"I guess not," The conversation carried on slowly, the weather, plans for the weekend(I left out the party and just kept to painting), foods that looked good on the menu, and after our food is placed in front of us, finally we came across the subject of family.

"So what's the Anderson family consist of?" Jason asks curiously. I take a gulp of air before I answer.

"Um, me, my dad. My step-mom; Karen. And my half sister, Avery." I say dully.

"How old is your sister?" I can see that he wants to ask about Karen, but doesn't.

"Four," He nods, still holding his tongue about my mom. I mean, as far as he knows, my parents could be merely divorced. Separated by a means far less permanent than death. But, even so, it would be a touchy subject. But, his resolve breaks.

"So your mom and dad are..."

"My mom passed away ten years ago." I say. The last thing I wanted to do was beat around the bush. I hated doing that, and I hate when people do that to me.

"Oh," I shrug at him, letting him know that my wound is well healed from time. I've moved on. I haven't forgotten, _far_ from forgotten, but I've moved on. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, you didn't know." He nods, letting his fork push a piece of broccoli around his plate. "So, what about your family?" I ask, directing the attention off of me.

"Uh, at the moment, it's just me, but it used to be me and my mom and my dad and my sister." I smile at the fact we have something in common. Something simple and easy.

"Oh, how old is she?" My smile was not reflected back at me.

"Um, she died about three years ago." My grin dropped the second the word '_died_' reached my ear canal. "She was fifteen."

"Oh my gosh," Finally it clicked. Jason's sister is the girl my dad had me read about in the paper. Jason's sister is the girl who was buried alive in their own backyard. "Your sister is Alison Dilaurentis." I said tactlessly. A silent moment passed over us. "I can't believe I just said that." A surprised chuckle bubbled from his lips, but not one of glee or amusement. One that made me realize how sad Jason really was.

"Um, yeah. That's her." I suck my lips into my mouth, trying not to say anything else stupid. "She went missing and my family couldn't stay here any longer so we all moved away from this town. We came back for her memorial and her funeral, but my patents couldn't stay in that house. Not after everything that happened. I left too."

"Wow. Well, I'm glad you were able to come back." I was sincere and honest. Just how I wish people would be with me after they learn about my mother. But somehow, I don't think I'll have that problem with Jason. I think he wants the same thing I do. To stop being pitied. I don't know if he took what I said a different way than I intended, but he smiled at me softly.

"Yeah, I am too."

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><p>I pulled my car into the driveway in front of my house. As I killed the engine I couldn't help but let a huge sigh pass my lips. I sighed because part of me didn't want this day to end, but, the other just wanted to crawl into bed and forget about everything. But, no matter what, what happened today, happened. All the good, and all the bad. So, I yanked the key from the ignition and exited the car.<p>

I acted like a ghost, practically floating to my room. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to anyone. I mean, I should be giddy and giggly. The man who, I may or may not have a tiny, itty-bitty school girl crush on, sat and ate dinner with me while we had comfortable conversation. We even mildly flirted a tiny bit at a few points during the night.

But, I couldn't shake this bad feeling I had in my gut.

As I laid down in my bed to sleep, it didn't matter how I felt, because sleep- much like life- waits for no one.

* * *

><p>"Ave, you have to get in the car." I said to the four year old in front of me, deadpanning.<p>

"No!" Avery screamed back at me. "You can't make me." An exasperated sigh pushed it's way from my lips. She was putting up more of a fight than usual today. I swear her tantrums flip on like a light switch sometimes.

"Yes, I can." I retorted. My arms scooped up the resentful little girl and shoved her in the backseat. "Just like that."

"Treason!" She screamed in my face while I was buckling her seat belt. "Treason!"

"Shut up Avery! I don't want to hear it!" I yelled back. I instantly regretted getting loud with her, but I've lost my temper with her over less. After she was buckled in, I got in the front seat and started our drive to the day care center.

When I pulled into the school parking lot, everyone was already inside, probably already sitting in their classrooms too. Considering we had three minutes until school started. I gathered my stuff, booked it to my locker, dropped off unnecessary items, and picked up the items I needed. The warning bell rang over my head while I swung my locker shut.

To say I hauled ass to my English class was an understatement.

When my left foot crossed the thresh hold of the classroom the bell rang. I gave Mrs. Montgomery a sheepish smile, hoping she wasn't one of those "be in your seats when the bell rings or your tardy" type of teachers.

"You're pushing it Miss Anderson." She said sternly. I nodded and rushed to my desk. "_Please_ try your best to be on time to my class." My head bobbed respectfully again, not wanting to get on her bad side. I took my seat behind Emily, giving Spencer, Hanna, Aria and finally Emily all polite smiles on my way. Aria and Spencer were the only ones who seemed polite enough at the moment to smile back. I could tell that Hanna was still cautious of me, so I wasn't surprised when she didn't smile back, but simply turned her head to Mrs. Montgomery as if she hadn't seen me. Emily looked too deep in thought to even be bothered to smile back.

But, I took what I could get.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. I sat with the Testosterone Train at lunch again. And when I saw Royce while I was walking to class, we waved at each other and said "hi". And when Chad and Damion passed me in the hallway, Damion yelled an almost crude, but funny, greeting at me while Chad ruffled my already messy hair. Chase even helped me get my stubborn locker open when he saw me struggling with it between classes.

Day 3 and I already was able to call a group of people my friends.

_Maybe this party won't be too bad after all._

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><p><strong>AN**

**Okay I lied. the party was not in this chapter. please don't hate me. I literally was procrastinating so bad with this story. I was writing the whole time, to be honest. But, I would write like a little section each week and eventually I just felt bad for making you guys wait so long that I just decided to end it there and put the party in the _next_ chapter. **

**the next chapter is in the works at this very moment and I can't wait for you guys to read it. **

**since im out of school for the summer now i will be able to update _much_ more and this next chapter will honestly probably be done in about a week or so.**

**thank you to all who have read or followed or favorited or all of the above.**

**but a special thank you to tobyequalshottness(thank you so much), Guest(I will try to fit in the bf's but no promises for the next chapter. soon though :]), Guest, and emmaspeck(:]) for the lovely reviews. **

**xoxo**


	7. Chapter Seven

**okay so I realize now that I have yet to put up a disclaimer. So to avoid a copy right, here goes:**

**I, blahicantthinkofaname, do not own any aspect of _Pretty Little Liars(_sadly), in any way, shape, or form. I only own Emma and her family, Chad, Chase, Damion, and Royce, and my plot line. **

**Pushover**

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><p>By the time I was seated in my final class of the day, the school was abuzz. Everyone was talking about it. Teachers, students, even the costodians could be caught gossiping about it while they changed the garbage bags in the hallway. If the school had a trashy gossip magazine, this would be on the front cover in big, bold letters.<p>

Ian Thomas' funeral is today.

I was particularly indifferent. Not that I wasn't appalled at what the man had done. Or that I wasn't surprised that the family of his fiance was even bothering to hold a service for him. But unlike every person in this town, I didn't know either of them. It didn't feel appropriate for me to make comments about things that I really had no right to form an opinion on in the first place.

So, I carried on with my work. I chose to ignore the chatter that was floating around the classroom while we were working on our assignment. By this rate, I would be the only person finishing my paper before class was over.

And I was.

Just as I handed in my paper to the teacher the final bell of the day rang. Every other student scrambled to scribble down half-ass answers just so they could practically throw them at the teacher. I took my time though.

I was in no rush. No place to be, no people to see. I was completely and utterly void of any responsibilities. I was almost care-free in that moment.

Until I rounded the corner that would lead me to the stairs and saw the devil herself. All dressed in pink with red lips to boot. I almost gagged.

"Hello Emma," She greeted, smiling at me as if we were old friends. The burrito I ate today for lunch was one more fake smile away from being all over her pristine attire.

"Hi Mona," I said back, also smiling at her. Though, by her expression, she was aware that it was strained.

"I don't want to keep you from whatever you're in no rush to get to so I'll make sure to keep it short and sweet." She said, dropping her act. In doing so, I dropped mine. Glad that we weren't playing cheredes any longer. "I don't like you spending time with Noel."

I deadpanned. "You can't be serious."

"I don't know if you may have heard, being new and all, but me and him are sort of an item now." Her face was as serious as I've ever seen it. Even more so than when she was screaming obscenities at Noel on my first day. "I will not let our relationship be tarnished by a home-wrecker."

"Uh, I can assure you I am no home-wrecker." I said, not letting her continue accusing me of these ridiculous things. I mean, I admit, Noel is sweet and cute and nice and has so far made the most effort in probably the whole school to make me feel welcome. But if he was already taken, who was I to wreck a relationship he obviously wanted to be in? Even if I some how grew a pair of lady-balls, and decided to go after what I wanted for a change. He didn't want to be with me anyways. I had to face facts. "Noel and I are just friends." And I added for good measure: "and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Is that so?" She asked. I could tell by the way she crossed her arms over her chest that she didn't believe me. _Did I believe me?_

"Yeah, it is." My voice didn't waver an inch.

"Well it's not like I had much to worry about anyways." She shrugged, trying to pry a reacted from me. "You aren't exactly the type of girl guys go chasing after." I tried to keep my temper from flaring. But how did people let her talk like that? How has she not been slapped into her place by now?

"Well I never thought that guys had eyes for girls like _you_."

"Oh yeah?" She snarled. "How am I like?"

"Well I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you, now would I?" My teeth were bared and I prayed that would be enough to scare her off for the time being. I did not have the patience to be in a screaming match with _Mona_."So I hope you don't mind, but I have to be somewhere." I lied, maneuvering around her to hasten down the stairs and rush to my locker. Adrenaline was pumping throughout my body, making my hands tremble as they worked at my combination lock. Everything was just too much. One second I was gushing about how care-free I was and now I'm practically shaking from a verbal altercation I had with _Mona_ of all people.

My eyes skated down each end of the hallway, making sure I was alone before I sank against my locker. Letting a dense breath out of my mouth. I was never one who had a stomach for confrontation. Even a mere vocal match had me in hysterics. My eyes shut as I attempted to gather my bearings.

Being over-dramatic was always a flaw of mine.

"Emma?" I looked up and saw probably the last person I would expect to see an even remotely sympathetic facial expression on their face in regards to me. "Are you alright?" Hanna asked, standing in front of me wearing a face that told me, "Aw, look at this poor injured little animal. How could I leave it here all alone without a person in the world?" _I loathed pity. _

"Yes," I said, shaking off my momentary insanity. "I'm fine." Whether she hated me or not, she certainly wasn't going to buy that bogus lie.

"Yeah, okay. And Selena _didn't_ talk Justin into getting that hair cut." My eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"What are you-"

"Oh, never mind." She waved it off irritated. "_What I mean is_; why were you just acting like you saw someone commit a mortal sin in the middle of the hallway?"

"I-I, well that's not-not really, um," I stuttered out. It's not that I didn't want to talk to Hanna. Which I shouldn't. She did, after all, absolutely despise me before properly getting to know me. She is only acting as if she cares right now because I remind her of an injured kitten.

"Well, spit it out." I sighed at her persistence.

"Do you know Mona?" I asked, deciding to build up to a confession.

"Vanderwaal?" She asked, leaning her shoulder against the lockers. I shrugged.

"Not sure, how many Mona's are in this school?" Hanna rolled her eyes. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that she did it kindheartedly.

"Yes I know her." She conceded. "I'm actually good friends with her, _best_ friends." I nodded, turning back to my locker to start placing things in my bag. In all honesty, I just didn't want to look Hanna in the face while I bad-mouthed her best friend.

"Well, she just accused me of being a home-wrecker. Insulted me, too." I could see her nod from the corner of my eyes. I couldn't resist, I looked over to see Hanna looking the least-bit surprised.

"Yeah, well," Her eyes met mine. "That's Mona for you." She pushed off the lockers.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry if I'm a human being and I don't like it when people belittle my reputation over petty jealousy." I spat back. Maybe the adrenaline hadn't left my system yet. Maybe I was running on left over fumes from Mona and I's fight.

_Or maybe I'm done being a pushover. _

"Pointless jealousy, too. Her accusations where way out of the spectrum." I said, shutting my locker and placing my maroon beanie on my head.

"Mona is a bit of a drama-queen." _Tell me about it_. "She just doesn't want to loose the things she has. She wasn't always as popular as she is now." Her lack of defense took me by surprise. I was expecting her to get in my face, scream, tell me to never say those things about her best friend. Not an explanation.

"Well, please tell your best friend that she has nothing to worry about." I calmed down. Hanna wasn't verbally attacking me. I didn't need to act like it. "I'm not going to steal Noel away from her."

"I'll pass on the message." I nodded, walking around her to exit through the front doors of the school.

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><p>The next two days weren't nearly as eventful as that day. Noel was distant on Thursday at lunch. He didn't talk to me as much. Didn't react positively when the other boys made jokes about me or with me. He was indifferent towards me, and it bothered me. More than it probably should. It bothered me so much, I stooped low enough to ask the guys what his problem was.<p>

_"Why is Noel ignoring me?" I openly asked the table after Noel got up to buy an extra bag of chips for his afternoon classes._

_"Apparently his old lady got super pissed that he's been hanging out with you." Royce said before he shoved an entire chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. Chad nodded._

_"Told him to stay away from you. Almost made him cancel the party because she knew you were gonna be there." I sighed. "He didn't of course, I mean they've only been dating a little bit. If he let her cancel a party at this point, he's a psycho."_

_"She also demanded that he not go to your house on Saturday." Damion added. _

_"Wait, he isn't-" _

_"No he's still coming." Chase reassured from next to me. "He just had to tell somewhat of a lie to come." _

_"Yeah, he said he was going to my house to watch a football game." I nodded. This whole thing was starting to feel dirty. I mean, he had to lie to hang out with me? I didn't like it. _

Then on Friday I could tell that the guys told him that I was hurt from his distance. They constantly directed the conversation to me, eliciting a response from him one way or another. And every time he rolled his eyes in knowing irritation. Their excitement from the party tonight didn't help.

_"What color are you painting your room Emma?" Chase wondered from next to me. I saw all the boys look at me expectantly awaiting an answer. _

_"Blue." I said, trying to get the attention away from me by responding with clips. Hoping to bore the table into talking about something other than me. _It hasn't worked yet though.

_"What shade?" Royce asked beside me. "You have to be more specific than that"_

_"Light blue." I deadpanned. _

_"What did the card say when you bought the paint?" Chad asked, clearly getting annoyed._

_"I don't know," I said, not bothering to look at the boys in front of me. I only looked at the food on my tray as my plastic fork pushed it around. "My dad bought it for me. I imagine it said something along the lines of _light blue._" _

_"Okay then," Chase said, looking at the other guys for help. My attitude was clearly not factored into his plan._

_"What time are we coming to your house tomorrow?" Royce asked. I shrugged, raking my eyes around the table._

_"It's up to you guys." _

_"Noel what time do you want to go to Emma's?" Chad asked. Noel snapped from his reverie and looked at all of us. Even me._

_"Um, I don't- uh, eleven?" He stuttered. If I wasn't so irritated with him, I would have thought it was cute. "Is that good?" He asked me stiffly. I nodded, looking back down at my food quickly. I heard the collective sigh of irritation from around the table._

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><p>I looked through my closet, hunting for an outfit fit for a party. A party with boys. Hot boys. Who, if drunk enough, will want to kiss me. Dance with me, hang out with me. But I didn't want to try too hard. Because if I do, some how, it will fly back in my face and humiliate me. So with that in mind, I reluctantly picked a white tank top with sheen on the top. I paired it with a pair of shorts and white sandals. I stood in front of my dresser for a few minutes, debating whether wearing a bunch of jewelry was the best idea. In the end, I decided on a black pair of necklaces, one with an anchor on it and the other had a helm. Then, I wore black and white earrings. My hair, well, I was at a loss.<p>

I had absolutely no idea how I was going to do my hair. Up? Down? Half up-half down? There was too much stress. So, I calmly exited my room, walked down the hall, and rapped on my parents door. Only one person could help me at this point.

"Karen?" I called through the door. "Can you help me?" The door opened, revealing my step-mom.

"What do you need?" She asked, assessing me. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," I said, flushing with pride. "Can you help me with my hair?" She smiled at me, the smile that she only wore when she was around me.

"Sure sweetie." I smiled, relieved. "What do you want?" An exasperated sigh puffed from my lips.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "Just- surprise me." She smiled devilishly. Karen lived for the moments I let her have complete control over my appearance.

After what seemed too long, she finally pulled her fingers from my hair. I sighed, relieved to have her not-so-nimble fingers away from my head. But as always, the result was well worth it in the end.

She had used a curling iron to wave my hair, as if using a make-shift wand. My hair was pulled back at the sides, braided to the back to meet in the middle in a seamless headband appearance. I would have never been able to do anything like that. She truly had a gift.

"Thank you so much." I said earnestly. But, she merely waved it off and suggested I speed off if I want to make it on time to the party. It was being held at Noel's house, since his parents were going to be out of town until Sunday morning. He had given me the address and directions on Wednesday at lunch. I was confident I wouldn't get lost, Rosewood was a rather small place. Getting lost almost took effort.

The drive took a little over ten minutes. Each time I looked at the clock on my dash board, I realized how nervous I was. And it only got worse each time. Eventually, I pulled up to a house. A nice sized, brick one, with a red door and white shudders. I turned my car off. But I made no move to get out. I sat in the seat, breathing deeply through my nose. After sitting there for two minutes, thinking, I pulled on the handle and pushed open the door. No amount of deep breathing was going to make me any more prepared for my first high school party.

My feet carried me to the front door. My hand twisted the handle to let me enter the cramped house.

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><p><strong>AN**

**okay so i didn't lie this time. the party was in this chapter. short, very short. but what kind of an author am i if i dont end on a cliff hanger?**

**and the next chapter will be up soon. **

**aye i also didn't lie about this chapter being up soon.**

**insert me with a huge freaking smile the size of a banana on my face.**

**i also have finally put up a bio on my account so you can go read that if you car but if you dont well thats okay too. i have all of emma's outfits on there also so if you dont care about me at least go check that out. **

**alrighty so read, review, follow, favorite.**

**thanks to all of my beautiful readers**

**and a special thank you to no one because it only took me three days to update and I didn't give anyone a chance to read and review but hey I live life dangerously.**

**xoxo**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Pretty Little Liars_.**

**Drunk Decisions.**

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><p>Everything was loud. The music, the people, the smell. It all screamed at me. All I heard was screeching dub step being blared all throughout the house and people trying to yell over it. It was confusing, I had no idea where anything was and I didn't know any of the people. I tried to push my way through the hallway, elbowing past drunk guys hitting on drunk girls. I started to wonder if this place seemed as hectic if you were intoxicated. When I made it to the end of the hall, there was a dead-end that split off in two directions, the one on the left I could see lead towards the living room. Where people were jumping and dancing and laughing and drinking, and definitely having more fun than me. The direction that lead to the right, lead to a dining room. Since that one was less packed, I turned on my heals to the right and walked deeper into the house.<p>

When I walked into the dining room, I saw a number of things that confused me. Firstly, there was a guy hunched over an empty plate, crying. His hair was jutting out in all different directions and I was almost one hundred percent sure that the foul smell in the room was coming from him. Then, I saw one boy and two girls in the corner, each taking turns making out with each other. Now, I know that probably isn't as abnormal as I'd like to think, but it was definitely a shock when I first walked into the room. And lastly, and probably the most shocking, there was a man standing over a vase, his pants around his ankles, and a stream of urine coming from his crotch out and into the glass piece.

Instead of questioning anything, I just kept walking until I came across the kitchen. Nothing was too abnormal about it, a couple making out on the counter, and some guys laughing over by the cooler of drinks. I sighed, reaching in to grab a cold one. If I was going to enjoy the party, I was probably going to have to be just as drunk as the rest.

And finally, my four knights in polyester armor came bursting through the door.

"Emma!" They all chorused gleefully, getting the attention of everyone in the room. I bashfully smiled while I took a sip from my can of Bud light. The taste was bitter on my tongue, but I ignored it.

"You finally made it!" Chase yelled happily over the muffled music coming from the living room.

"Yup," I said. "I made it."

"And you look stunning." Chad remarked, making it a spectacle of looking me up and down. I blushed, hiding behind my can while I gulped down a few more sips.

"Doesn't she always?" Royce said, although when he said it, it felt different. Royce said it with earnest and friendliness, Chad was just drunkenly sizing me up. "And she already has a drink, trying to beat us at our game, huh?" He said, nudging my hand that had the can of beer.

"Not possible," I said, chuckling at their drunken states.

"And she has a brain!" Damion out right yelled, putting his arm around me. "We just might keep you, Emilia."

"Oh, if I could be so lucky." I rolled my eyes before I shrugged off his arm, already too buzzed to comment on his use of my full name. "You guys said this was going to be a party." I said, smirking at all of them. "Well, I don't see one."

"Is Emma Anderson getting snippy with us?" Damion said, giving me an astonished look.

"I think she is," Chase said, smiling at me, with a proud twinkle in his eyes.

"I like this Emma." Chad stated, sliding his arm around my shoulders. "The party is this way, milady." He guided me through the house, leaving the other three behind. Being alone with Chad made me a little nervous, but at this point as I chugged down the last remnants of my beer and reached for another one, I didn't seem to care. The music started to make more sense and the beer was tasting better and better with each drink. The only thing I wanted to do was dance and sing and laugh and kiss the guy across the room who kept staring at me. I wanted to do everything and anything I could. Chad seemed to love the fact that I was letting loose.

As we danced his hands were on my hips and we both swayed to the music. I felt alive. Like the music was my heart beat and the liquid in my cup was pumping through my veins. Everything seemed right.

Until I looked up, and saw Noel. I saw Noel with his hands on Mona's waist and his lips on her neck. And all of a sudden, the music was too loud and the drinks didn't taste good and the lights burned too bright in my eyes. A sigh left my lips and the hand that wasn't holding my cup moved to rub my temple.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chad slurred, taking my cup and setting it down on the table beside us. I shook my head.

"The music," My voice was almost as slurred as his, maybe more. "It's too loud." I yelled at him, probably getting my beer breath all over his face, but I wasn't concerned.

"Let's get out of here," He said, gripping my hand and dragging me back into the hallway and up a flight of stairs. The only thing I saw on the second floor was people who were fully clothed, trying to have dry sex. If I wasn't so drunk, I would have been disgusted. "Let's go in here." Chad said as he pulled me through a door. The room was dark, lit by a window in the corner that let moon light stream in through sheer curtains. "Is this better?" He asked me as I sat on the bed. I nodded, holding my hand to my fore head. I could still feel the music reverberating through the floor.

"Yes," I murmured around a sigh. "Much," He didn't say anything after that, he just sat down next to me. I didn't look up, but I saw his knees next to mine, and his shoes on the floor.

"I'm sorry you had to see Noel with Mona." He said suddenly, after we sat in a minute of silence. My eyes shot up to his, probably resembling a deer in headlights. "I know you like him," he muttered. It seemed that we had both sobered up considerably. "I'm not an idiot Emma. And neither is he or Mona."

"I-" I paused. "I don't like him. Well, at least I think I don't." I shook my head. "There is too much alcohol in my system to talk about this right now, Chad."

"Well," he scooted closer, putting his hot hand on my bare thigh. "Don't talk." His warm breath wafted onto my face and his jean clad leg rubbed against mine. "Don't talk," He repeated, putting the hand that wasn't on my thigh onto my jaw, holding my face in place while his lips moved closer and closer to mine. I wanted to move away, scream at him, ask him how dare he take advantage of a drunken girl. But, I didn't move, and my voice didn't work.

Then, Chad's smooth lips were on mine and my mind lit up. But, not in a good way. It lit up like a road detour sign that screamed at me: "_Stop! Don't do this! Push him away!"_ And so I did.

Chad's lips detached from mine as if it was a suction cup. I knew where this was headed, and I didn't want it. "Stop," I said to him, grasping his shirt collar in my fist. "I don't want to do this." He looked at me like I had just confessed my sins to him.

"Of-Of course you do," He told me, like I was some kind of child. "You kissed me back."

"You just accused me of liking Noel and now you think I want to have drunk sex with you?" I asked him incredulously. My body acted on it's own, standing from the bed to leave the room. I might have been drunk, but I knew better. He gripped my wrist before I could get away from him.

"Don't go," He said, holding desperately to me. As if I was his life-line. "Just wait a second."

"No Chad," My voice was small. Too small. "I want to go back downstairs."

"No," He said more forcefully. "Stay here." I retched my hand away from his. But, the amount of toxins in my systems caused my feet to fall out from under me. I stumbled into the wardrobe behind me and fell straight on my ass. It made this huge thump and I knocked a book off the top, it fell beside me. "Shit Emma, are you okay?"

"No!" I said, evading his helping hands. "Don't touch me." I used the knob of the wardrobe to stand up, at one point the door opened and I almost fell again. But Chad's hands steadied me. I quickly moved away from him, giving him a look of irritation. As quick as possible, I ran out of the room and took the stairs two at a time, both hands firmly planted on the banister. The moment I was back in the kitchen, I had another drink in my hand and was pouring it down my throat.

"Woah there Emma," I heard from next to me. "Take it one at a time." Noel moved to take away the next can I grabbed from the cooler. I sighed, wiping my mouth of the alcohol.

"Who knew Emma Anderson could hold her liqueur?" A condescending voice inquired from behind him. "I never would have guessed."

"Mona please," Noel pleaded, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the living room. I could see Damion, Royce, and Chase dancing with all different groups of girls. Probably having the times of their lives. Their faces lit up when they saw me, making gestures that told me they wanted me to join them. I smiled back happily. Dancing sounded like a great idea.

But the rough hand on my arm stopped me from getting mixed up in the crowd.

"Royce!" Noel yelled, getting the boy's attention. He broke away from the girl he was grinding with to meet us.

"Aye man," He smiled at us. "Emma how's the party?"

"Could be better." I shrug, wishing I could go over and dance with the only friends I had. Royce's face faltered, then he looked up at Noel.

"Could you take her home? She's too drunk to drive and Mona would flip shit if I let her stay here. My hands are tied." He muttered to Royce. Royce looked at Noel with a serious face. His hand raked against his stubbled chin.

"You think I'm not drunk?" Royce said, helplessly shrugging. "I mean I could walk her but, there's no way any body here is sober enough to drive any where." Noel sighed, looking at me.

"Just make sure she get's home safe." I felt like a child, being carted off to someone to get escorted home. I'm not helpless, I can drive myself home. I don't need a shofer.

"Guy's I'm-I'm not that drunk." I said defiantly around a hiccup. They shared a look before Royce took me from Noel.

"I got her bro, don't worry." He guided me to the front door and took me outside. The cool night air felt like heaven against my clammy skin. I sighed at the sensation. "Which way to your house?" Royce asked, steadying me against his firm body. My hand limping gestured in the direction I assumed was the way I got here. My sense of direction was just as shot as my sense of balance. But, he didn't even ask for reassurance, he simply hooked his built arm around my waist and walked with me in the direction I pointed to.

"I'm not drunk," I insisted, watching my feet move one after the other. It was rather interesting watching them move without me having to tell them to. "I-I only had like, one-three drinks I think. Like barely four drinks maybe. No, no, I had one drink, I'm pretty sure."

"Emma, you're definitely drunk." Royce reminded. I giggled at the way his voice sounded, it reminded me of an old man. Deep and firm and sturdy. Once I started giggling, I couldn't stop. Royce just kept guiding me along the side walk. He was clearly much, _much_ less drunk than me. Meaningless words constantly bubbled from my lips, making me laugh more at how funny I was. Royce laughed too, but I realized after a while that it wasn't at my jokes, it was at _me_. But, I was still happy I was making him happy.

We were getting closer and closer to my house, practically just around the corner, maybe. When I looked over and saw a car on the side of the road. It took me a moment to recognize the driver and the passenger who sat idly in the car.

"Jason!" I yelled, pulling Royce to a stop. "Aria! Hey guys!" I giggled happily, wriggling from Royce's hold. I ran to the driver door to smile at the stunned people sitting inside.

"Emma?" Aria asked unbelievably. "Are you alright?" I nodded giddily, feeling Royce come up behind me.

"C'mon Emma, we-we need to get you home." Royce slurred. His beer was settling, I could tell. He could barely hold himself up let alone walk me, another drunk, home. His hand fell against Jason's convertible.

"Um, where are you coming from, Emma?" Jason asked, opening the car door and stepped out to help me to stand.

"Probably Noel Kahn's party. I heard about it, but didn't really feel up to going." Aria stated, still sitting in the car. "I'm kind of glad I didn't now."

"N-No," I stuttered. "It was really fun." Jason looked at Royce, who looked back at him with pleading.

"Can you get her home? I-I live right around the corner and I think I'm gonna be sick." Royce said to him, holding a hand to his stomach. Jason nodded, letting Royce run off in another direction. I smiled up at Jason while he held me in place.

"Well, I'm gonna go." Aria said, getting out of the passenger side of the car. "I'll see you later." Jason nodded, helping me around to get into the seat. His large hands strapped me in and closed the door gently. He jumped into his side of the car and asked me the same question Royce did.

"Where is your house?" I looked around. All the houses looked familiar and the street signs moved too much for me to read them. My mind stuttered, I had no idea where I was.

"U-Um. I think-" I looked in all directions, trying to remember. The street lights burned my eyes and my hands moved to shield them from the assault. "I-I don't know," I heard Jason sigh, then I felt the car start to move forward. I didn't care where we were going, I just wanted to lay down and close my eyes. So I hoped that wherever we were going there was a bed. I laid my head against the car door. The wind blew threw my hair, but I didn't care. My eyes shut closed, and the last thing I remember was Jason turning on the radio and hearing The Black Keys lull me to sleep.

* * *

><p>When my eyes opened again, my head was against someone's shoulder. My feet were dangling and I could feel their arms under my knees and my back. I lazily slung my arm around their neck, they smelled good. I didn't want them to put me down. But, I felt a soft plush surface under me, and their hands slid out from under me. I chose that moment to open my eyes.<p>

Jason stood over me, draping a blanket over my body. I was on a couch. A nice, plush, cream colored couch.

"Where am I?" I murmured to him, snuggling the fuzzy blanket against my face. His hair fell into his eyes while he tucked the blanket around my legs.

"My house," He replied. I took a moment to look around, taking in all the features. There were boxes all around and there weren't any decorations on the walls. It looked like this couch was the only beautiful thing in the room. _Well,_ I looked up at the man who was unbuckling my sandals from my feet. _He's pretty beautiful._

"You're beautiful," I told him, the liquid courage still flowing throughout my body. "Like, really _really_ masculine-ly beautiful." I could see his face falter, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Thank you." He placed my shoes on the floor in front of the couch. I wiggled my toes, letting a giggle escape my lips. It was nice, being taken care of by _Jason Dilaurentis. _I didn't want him to stop. He shed his jacket onto the chair next to him. His shirt hugged his built body in all the right ways. It stirred something in me. The way his hands pushed his hair from his eyes, the way he bent over to unlace his shoes, the way his blue eyes locked with mine. It sent chills throughout my body. I was right, he _is_ beautiful. Much too beautiful for me, I realized.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" I inquired, holding his eyes locked onto mine. His gaze didn't falter. I kicked the blanket off of my body, feeling the cold air of the room hugging my body comfortingly. He didn't respond, he just watched me. I hesitated a moment, feeling almost intimidated by his stare. His big beautiful blue eyes giving me all the attention. But, I then decided that I needed to do this. I would probably never have this chance again. My fingers grasped the hem of my shirt, quickly pulling it off over my head. I sat on the couch with only my shorts and my bra to cover me, my necklaces dangling between my breasts. Everything was telling me to stop right there, grab my shirt and put it back on. Pretend that this never happened. But, I didn't.

"Emma," Jason said, watching me as I got up and slowly walked over to him. A gentle hand stopped me from getting too close. "Stop,"

"No," I said, looking intently at the veins in his neck.

"You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing." He insisted, keeping me from closing the distance between us. I shook my head. I might have had a little confidence boost, but I knew what I was doing. If I didn't want Jason to look at me without a shirt on, I wouldn't have taken it off.

"Yes I do," I reassured him, grabbing his hand in mine. His large, calloused hand gripped mine back. I wanted nothing more than to feel his hands on my body. "I know exactly what I'm doing." I moved to stand on my tip toes. He was hesitant. He didn't want to take advantage of me. He looked me directly in the eyes. I could tell he was searching for something to tell him that I was drunk. Some kind of sign that I wasn't coherent. But I knew he wouldn't find it.

And then, Jason's lips were on mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**WELL SHIT. **

**I DONE LEFT Y'ALL HANGIN DIDN'T I.**

**there you have it folks. that's chapter eight. i do like it. quite a lot.**

**OH OH OH i have made a _TRAILER _for this story if you guys care to watch it its on my bio. and I'm not going to bother to make a polyvore collection for this chapter because why the hell would I.**

**Okay well please tell me what you guys think of this and where you want me to go with it :)**

**thank you to all my wonderful readers and please read and review and follow and favorite and all that jazz.**

**And a special thank you to Psycho17 for the review. :)**

**xoxo**


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